// CITY_ASSESSMENT

How smart is Belfast?

Belfast, United Kingdom, scores 61.5% against the UN ISO-aligned smart city framework in 2026 — ranked #24 of 75 cities assessed, with every finding traceable to a public source.

Smart score

61.5%

Rank

#24 / 75

Criteria present

48 / 86

Evidence coverage

67.4%

Belfast's smart city score by area

Data, Digital & Smart Foundation73%

10 present · 2 partial · 3 absent

Mobility & Transport73%

7 present · 2 partial · 2 absent · 1 not assessed

Environment, Energy & Climate65%

5 present · 3 partial · 2 absent · 3 not assessed

Infrastructure, Water & Waste75%

7 present · 1 partial · 2 absent · 1 not assessed

Health, Education, Safety & Inclusion75%

7 present · 1 partial · 2 absent · 3 not assessed

Economy, Innovation & Employment100%

7 present · 0 partial · 0 absent · 1 not assessed

Governance, Resilience & Operating Model42%

5 present · 1 partial · 7 absent · 1 not assessed

Where Belfast is strong

  • Open Data & Transparency
  • Housing & Urban Planning
  • Culture, Tourism & Recreation
  • Food Security & Urban Agriculture
  • Digital Government Services

Where the gaps are

  • Governance & Smart-City Operating Model
  • Climate Action & Emissions
  • Green Space & Biodiversity
  • Climate Adaptation & Heat
  • Solid Waste & Circular Economy

Evidence highlights

Open Data & Transparency · Official open data portal

Belfast City Council provides information on open data and links to the Open Data NI portal, which serves as the official open data portal for Northern Ireland.

https://www.belfastcity.gov.uk/open-and-linked-data

Open Data & Transparency · High-value datasets published

High-value datasets, including transport information (Translink) and water-related data (NI Water), are published on the Open Data NI portal.

https://www.opendatani.gov.uk/dataset?tags=NI+Water

Open Data & Transparency · Programmatic API access

Programmatic API access is available for datasets, specifically for Translink transport information.

https://www.opendatani.gov.uk/dataset/translink-transport-information-api

Digital Government Services · Digital identity / single sign-on

Northern Ireland residents, including those in Belfast, can use a nidirect account for digital identity and single sign-on to access government services.

https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/services/log-accessni

About this assessment

Belfast was assessed against the 86 criteria of the UN ISO-aligned smart city framework on 2026-06-30 by AI agents gathering evidence from official public sources. Each criterion is marked present, partial or absent, and every finding links to where it was found — see how smart cities are measured. Scores refresh continuously as cities publish new evidence.